You Are Special
by Sparrow2000
Summary: Jaycee hates seeing her daughter down in the dumps. And a battle injury for 5 year old Calina is no acception. After returning home, Jaycee reads her favorite childhood book to her daughter to boost her spirits. A child shouldn't go through a battle without some comfort later. Max Lucado's story is twisted to fit what Calina is going through.


**Okay so I'm supposed to be following Lint this year for a try. I decided to fast my writing ideas and stories. No new ideas or any writing for 40 days(still confused with certain details). But I wrote this down nearly three months ago. It's a remix of ****_You Are Special_**** by Max Lucado. I got the book in 2nd grade(10 years ago) and loved it. It was my inspiration for a lot.**

**Now, this is actually a spoiler alert for my other story ****_A Secret Life?_**** because the main character is a mom at this point. The rest is in the intro. This story was always my favorite. I still read it when I'm upset. Hope you all enjoy my twist!**

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Calina was still hurting when we got home a few hours later. I felt so guilty for taking her to the Watchtower. Of course, no one knew that Darksied would just attack like that. My young daughter had been brave during the attack, but received a few serious burns on her arms and face from the villain. I had punched his lights out for that and the League got him out of there before I could cause significant damage.

Now Calina was lying in bed with a bandaged head and arms. It was heart-wrenching to look at. Even Riven was shocked that she could endure all of that at only five years old. Her birthday _did not_ go as planned in any way whatsoever.

A small groan escaped her mouth as she lay helpless under her covers. I was at her side in a nanosecond.

"Yes sweetie? I'm right here," I cooed, rubbing her head with my left hand and holding her hand with the other.

"It hurts," she could barely say.

It tore at my heart to see her like this. "I know sweetie. Just rest now." Tried to be as reassuring as possible, my voice possibly failing me. Then my eyes lit up. "I'll be right back sweetie. Promise."

I hurried into my room, glancing around frantically to remember where I placed the object I wanted. I rushed to my closet, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as I tore through shoeboxes of old paperwork. Nothing. The desk was my next target. Still nothing as numerous items fell to the floor. I ran to my nightstand, almost destroying the drawer. There it was. I grabbed it and ran back to my daughter's side. She was watching the door as I came in.

My bright, loving smile told her everything right there: This will help you feel better.

"What is it?" she barely managed.

I pulled a chair closer and sat down. "Something from when I was your age." I turned the object so she could see the front in the low-light of her Wonder Woman lamp.

She looked carefully, still just learning how to read. "You Are Special." She looked at me curiously. "A book?"

"Yes," I answered. "I read this all the time growing up. You'll know soon enough." I flipped the cover open and to the first page, finding the _To&From_ with my mom's writing. Flipping the page again, I found the first page. But I added a bit of a twist for my daughter.

_The heroes were people who lived in our universe. Most of them lived on Planet Earth. They were on one team that helped the world. That team was always loved and adored by the people of the many planets._

_Each hero had different and unique powers that set them apart from one another. Some could fly or run fast. Some had super strength and others used magic. Some had wings and some had claws. Some wore capes and others wore masks. But they were part of the same team._

_And all day, every day, the heroes would go out and save the people of the universe from the evil villains. There were times, however, when the villains would win. The people would be ungrateful, but they still loved the heroes when they won. The strong ones were congratulated for their work, while the average people felt small and unimportant. They got no attention as they watched the heroes be loved._

_Sparrow was one of these average humans. She could do very little. She had no special powers or abilities. She thought everyone looked down on her because of this. Sparrow wanted to be a great hero but did not know how. The other heroes trained her well, but she did not believe she was worth it. After a while, Sparrow believed she was worthless. A few of her friends told her not to worry. They did not train with her because she was normal. Sparrow now believed there was no point to be a hero anymore._

_"I don't deserve to be a hero," Sparrow told herself._

_"You can be a hero," Superman told her. "You just need to train with normal people."_

_Sparrow became even more saddened by this. She stayed home more so she would not be seen by other normal people. Sparrow believed that if normal people did see her that they would criticize her for working with the heroes and not being one._

_Then one day, Sparrow met a normal boy who worked with the heroes like she did. His name was Tim. He was just like her. But he was happy. Sparrow wondered why he was so happy about being normal and being a hero. No one criticized him for being one. When she asked why, he answered, "I talk to Slice every day." "Slice?" "Yes. He lives in the mansion by the cliff. Go visit him and see."Sparrow pondered the thought while Tim turned and hopped away down the street._

_"Should I go see him?" Sparrow asked herself. "Will it be worth it?" All night long, Sparrow watched the News Broadcasts of the strong and powered heroes. She thought about what Tim had said. Sparrow finally decided what she would do. "I'm going to see Slice."_

_She walked toward the mansion by the cliff and stepped through the door. "Hello?" she called. The mansion was big enough to make nearly any villain tremble. There was a grand staircase that led upstairs. Sparrow glanced at the top to see someone approaching. She became scared and turned to leave, but something stopped her. "Sparrow?" The voice was firm but gentle. Sparrow stopped in her tracks. "It is so good to see you Sparrow! I wondered when you would come. Come here and let me see you." Sparrow moved shyly toward the great hero. "I was told to come see you." "I know." "How do you know who I am?" "I am your father, am I not?"_

_Slice laid his hands on Sparrow's small shoulders. "You look the same as when I last saw you. I have waited to see you again. I heard that you do not believe in yourself." "I did try Slice." "It is alright Sparrow. You should not think about what other normal people say about you. I do not." "You don't?" "No, and you should not either. Who are they to criticize someone as brave as you? They are normal people just like you. Their thoughts do not matter, Sparrow. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special."_

_Sparrow laughed. "Me, special? Why? I can't fly or run fast. I have no strength or power. Why should I be a hero?" Slice smiled warmly at Sparrow and spoke softly to the young girl. "Because you are my daughter and a real hero." Sparrow never thought about herself like that. Her father was the first one to believe in her. She was speechless._

_"Every day I wished to see you walk in that door," Slice explained. "I came because of the happy boy." "I know. He told me about you." "Why is he so happy?" The hero kept his warm smile. "Because he believes he is a hero despite what other normal people think or say about him. You only become what you hear to believe is true." "What?" "You only believe people if you start to think like them. The more you believe in yourself, the more you will believe you are a hero." "I think I understand."_

_Sliced smiled. "You will fully understand in time. You have been criticized greatly. For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I do believe in you." Slice gave Sparrow a hug. "Remember, you are special in your own ways. I know for a fact." He released the girl and she walked out the door of the great mansion. "I believe he's right." And just like that, Sparrow already felt better about herself than ever before._

Calina was smiling when I looked at her. "Did you like it?"

She nodded slowly with a yawn. "I loved it Mommy," she whispered sleepily.

With heavy eyelids, Calina finally fell asleep.

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**Turns 5. Goes to work with mom. Attacked by Darkseid. Receives heavy scars and burns. Poor kid. But she loves the story, just like I always did. Just a one-shot until the entire story is up. It's also a boost of confidence for anyone who needs it.**

**Hope you all enjoyed!**


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